Tuesday, November 20, 2012

SURREY, ENGLAND(ANS) -- A retired pastor from the COCIN (Church of Christ in Nations) denomination was shot dead in his home in Borno State Sunday as he and his family were preparing to attend a church service.

According to a news release from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), his death came as a police inspector and a politician were gunned down in attacks in Bauchi and Kano States respectively.

CSW said according to local church sources, Rev. Elisha Kabura was talking to his son when two gunmen posing as visitors entered his home in Maiduguri, the state capital, and fired several shots at him before fleeing the area undetected.

CSW said according to the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian, Kabura had received a death threat from Boko Haram earlier this year, but refused to flee the area. In September, Pastor Ali Samuri of the Good News Church, who received a similar threat, was shot dead by gunmen who had followed him to his house in the Mafoni area of Maiduguri.

A local leader told CSW that Boko Haram is selectively killing Christians in their homes.

He added, "They kill today; there's a lull, then they kill again. It is ongoing. Many people are frightened - they don't know who will be next. We just pray that somehow justice will be worked out, and effective measures will be taken by the government. The security services are trying their best but cannot contain the whole thing. We are losing confidence."

CSW said on the same day, Babangida Danbabo, a police inspector attached to Government House in Bauchi State, was shot dead along Nasarawa Road in Bauchi Metropolis as he returned home from early evening prayers at a local mosque.

According to CSW, a day earlier in Kano State, Ibrahim Abba Garko, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representative for Garko Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, died after gunmen on a motorcycle shot him in the head, chest, and shoulder as he met with friends in the Ungwa Uku General Area shortly after observing early evening prayer.

CSW said his colleagues are also reported to have been injured, and are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital. The Kano House of Assembly has declared a seven-day mourning period in his honor.

CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said in the news release, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Rev. Kabura, Mr. Danbabo and Mr. Garko at this time. It is tragic that the lives of people who worked for the betterment of their respective communities can be cut short by those who are bent on worsening the plight of the country. Boko Haram continually seeks to justify murder as a sacred duty, which is abhorrent since every religious tradition respects the life and dignity of humankind. CSW continues to call on the government of Borno State in particular to institute security guarantees that adequately protect all of its citizens."

Thomas added, "We also call on the federal government to combine an effective judicial response to the military, including the timely prosecution of suspected members, funders and backers of this terrorist group to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of social or political standing, in order to ensure real progress in solving the problem posed by the Boko Haram militia."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide is a Christian organization working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.